Lasting machine



April 7, 1953 F. c. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE ll Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1950 [n wen/tor Fran/c G Choice.

F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 Filed June :5, 1950 ll Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Ea'nk C. C/zoz'ce I By hzs Attorney F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 11 Sheets-Shea? 3 Filed June 3, 1950 Inventor Hank C' Choice By his Azzorne April 1953 F. c. CHOICE 2,633,585

LASTING MACHINE? Filed June 3, 1950 ll Sheets-Sheet 4 m 239 245 245 X I, g X zes- 1255 26% 7.

I Inventor l1 w s: Frank C Choice j. By his Aztorney v C1," I :l' 217 Y F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 3, 1950 Inventor Han/c C Choice F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 11 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 3, 1950 Inventor Frank 6. Choice mJ r p 1953 F. c. CHOICE Y Y 2,633,585

LASTING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1950 1']. Sheets-Sheet 7 Inventor Hank C. Choice By his Azzo ney April 3 F. c. CHOICE 2,633,585

LASTING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1950 11 Sheets-Sheet s 7 331 259 33 v Z63 59.12 v x 55 a x 5/ 43' j] 349 83 Inventor F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed June 3, 1950 Inuenfor Fran/r C Choice B his Azzorrzez April 7, 1953 Filed Jun'e 3, 1950 F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE 11 sheets sheet 10 Inventor Frank C Choice By his Azzorney F. C. CHOICE LASTING MACHINE April 7, 1953 11 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed June 3, 1950 Qmm 9mm Dew Qww QNN QbN Inventor Frank C. Choice By his Azfor'rzey ESQ: @U ES EKDSKWNEQUEkUDQKBRwk haw bQh Q QB QSQ B G Patented Apr. 7, 1953- UN I TED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAS'I INQ MACHINE l -ra-nk Coleman Choice, Leicester, England, as:- signorto'United Shoe Machinery Corporation, 'Flemington, N. J.,a corporation 'of New "Jersey Application June 3,1950, Serial.No. 165,895

" 'InjGrleat Britain J un 21,1919

disclosed in United States Letters Patent No.

2,160,846, granted on June-6, 1939, on an application of F. C. Eastman and A. F. Pym, but it isto be understood thatit is not thus limited in its applicability.

The machine shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, which is constructed especially for lasting the toe ends of welt shoes, is provided with toe-embracing wipers for-wiping the upper about the toe end of the last heightwise of the last and for thereafter-wiping its marginal portion inwardly over't'he feather of an insole on the last and against a lip on the insole, and also with grippers which grip and pull the toe end of the upper and thereafter exercise -a restraining and controlling action'on the upper in the course of the operation of the wipers thereon. Instead of such grippers, the machine has been provided heretofore with means for clamping the marginalportion'of the upper outspread on the wipers to control it in the lasting operation, as disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. 2,380,407, granted on July 31, 1945 on an application of P. E. Burby.

The present invention, inone aspect, provides improved means associated with the wipers for thus clamping and controlling-the upper. The construction shown comprises a pair of fingers, hereinafter termed retarder fingers, arranged-to clamp the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers near the extreme-end oi the toe, and a pair of auxiliary retarder fingers arranged to extend along the-sides of the toe beyond the first-mentioned fingers which, for convenience of designation, may be -termed'the main fingers. This-arrangement of retarderfingers is in some-respects similar to-that disclosed in a United States Letters-Patent No. 2,516,970,

granted on August 1, 1950, onan application of S.'E. Frampton. In accordance with that prior disclosure, however, in operating onshoes of the McKayor flat-lastedtype, the fingers were engaged with the insole initially in locations comparatively remote from its edge and were moved outwardly from those locations to spread-the marginal portion of the upper-away 'from the insole before, clamping it-on the wipers. It is one ofthe objects of the present invention to deal with problems arising more particularly in the lasting of shoes of the welt typein-which the insolev is provided near its edge With-'a-welii- 2 attaching lip. Inthe machine jherein shown the shoe" is posit ioned, as heretofore, for thelto'elasting. operation by a device which engages the inner face of the lip of theiinsole' around the "toe and extends upwardly "beyond the lip, the

shoefbeing bottom upward. 'This' device is detachableto fpermit other devices to be substituted for use onshoe's of different styles and sizes. The above-mentioned auxiliary retarder fingers extend to positions not far from the foremost side pulling-over tacks, and in order to insurethatthe tips of these fingers will lieinside of the upstanding marginalportion of they upper materials; including the lining, when the shoe sypraemw to the machine, the tips of the "fingers are comparatively thin widthwise of the shoe and-are: held yieldingly against the sides --of the shoe-positioning device above the lip of the insole whatever the shape or size of the device. For this purpose [there is provided a springacting on-the-fingers through aimovable member which serves as a support for means whereby all the fin ers are laterswung in outward directions-widthwise of the shoe. In order that outward movements of definite extent will thus be'imparted to the fingers, mechanism is provided for locking the movable support shortly'after' the beginning of a cycle of operations .of the machine, thus -preventing the spring from having any influence onsuch-movementsof the ng s a Further to insure that-the tips of theauxiliary fingers'w'ill "be positioned properly inside of the upstanding margin of the upper materials when the shoe is presented to the machine, these fingers, in-the constructionshown, are downwardly inclined initially toward the heel end of the shoe relatively to the main fingers. Topermit this-the'auxiliary fingersare mounted for swinging movementsl heightwise Of the shoe about axes located close to the heelwardly directed ends of the main fingers. 'Shortly after the beginning of the cycle of operations the main fingers, together with a retarder-member for engaging the u per-at the extreme endof the toe,--are;moved downwardly into positions 'to clamp the upper on the wipers when the latter' a're below the level *of'the' toe end of the insole. Since-the tips of the auxiliary-fingers, becausepf their proximity-to portions erthe'upper held bythe foremost side pulling over tacks, cannotbemoved downwardly so far as the main'retardertfingers, members connected to-theaux'iliary fingers cause themto swing-about their axes to 'positions in which they are upwardly inclined in a heelw'ard direction as the main fingers receive their downward movements. As the main fingers are thereafter moved upwardly by the wipers in the wiping of the upper heightwise of the last, the auxiliary fingers are swung reversely to positions in which they are substantially parallel to the wipers by the time the wipers arrive in positions to begin to wipe the upper inwardly over the insole. When the wipers are about to begin their inward wiping movements, the main fingers and the retarder member at the extreme end of the toe are moved upwardly enough to relieve somewhat the pressure on the portions of the upper which they engage, so that this pressure will not become excessive by reason of the gathering or pleating action taking place in the margin of the upper materials as the upper is wiped inwardly. At the same time the full pressure of the auxiliary fingers on the upper is maintained, in order to minimize any tendency for portions of the upper in the vicinity ofthe tip line to be displaced in a heelward direction. In order to prolong the control of the upper by the retarder fingers, they are moved inwardly widthwise of the shoe with the wipers.

The invention further provides auxiliary wipers to assist in the lasting of portions of the upper also acted upon by the main wipers at the sides only of the toe, the construction shown being such that the upper is clamped on these auxiliary wipers by the auxiliary retarder fingers; The auxiliary wipers, after they have been moved inwardly against the sides of the toe by their operating mechanism, 7 are under the influence of springs which, after the upwiping operation, tend to move them inwardly over the insole with the main wipers. Neither the auxiliary wipers nor the auxiliary fingers cooperating with them to clamp the marginal portion of the upper have any movements lengthwise of the shoe as they are moved inwardly with the main wipers, this being an important factor in counteracting any tendency for the main wipers to displace the upper in thevicinity of the tip line in a heelward direction. After the retarder fingers have been moved upwardly away from the wipers, the auxiliary wipers under the influence of their springs, if controlled by a cam hereinafter described, are held pressed inwardly against upstanding marginal portions of the upper at the sides of the toe and thus assist in preventing any objectionable displacement of the margin in those locations during partial retractive movements and repeated inward movements of the main wipers which take place after their first inward wipe.

The invention also provides novel means for preventing any danger-of damage to the auxiliary wipers if the machine is operated without any shoe therein. If it were not for such means the auxiliary wipers would be moved farther inwardly by their operating mechanism in the absence of a shoe than if a shoe were present, and in consequence, in moving upwardly with the main wipers, might be damaged by contact with means provided for positioning the shoe. For the purpose in view, the construction shown comprises means dependent upon the absence of a shoe from the machine for causing lost motion between partsof the mechanism for imparting the inward movements to the auxiliary wipers and for thereby restricting such movements of these wipers. render the absence of the shoe thus effective, a device which is displaceable to cause the lost motion is controlled by shoe-clamping means which moves a greater distance if there is no shoe 4 in the machine and thereby serves to efieot the displacement of the device.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in right-hand side elevation of the greater portion of the machine in which the invention is herein shown as embodied, with parts broken away and certain others removed for the sake of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a. view similar to Fig. 1 on a larger scale of the main upper portion of the machine, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the upper portion of the machine, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the retarder means;

Fig. 5 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow V in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is aview in right-hand side elevation of the shoe-positioning means;

Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation of the shoepositioning means shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view in right-hand side elevation showing operating and adjusting mechanisms associated with the auxiliary wipers;

Fig. 9 is mainly a plan view of the auxiliary wipers and associated parts;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line X-X of Fig. 4;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line XI--XI of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a right-hand side elevation showing the retarder means and the-toe wipers as they appear at a certain time in the toe-lasting operation;

Fig. 13 is a right-hand side elevation of a por- .tion of the structure shown at the top of Fig. 1,

together with an adjustable stop device which maybe provided for a purpose hereinafter explained;

Fig. 14 is a view in rear elevation of parts shown ".in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a view in right-hand side elevation, with parts broken away, showing safety means which may be provided to insure against damage to the auxiliary wipers if the machine is operated in the absence of a shoe and also showing an alternative cam for operating the auxiliary wipers;

Fig. 16 is a front elevation of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 15; and

Fig. 17 is a chart illustrating the timing of the operations of certain portions of the machine.

Like the machine shown in Letters Patent No. 2,160,846, the machine herein shown includes a main frame i which houses the greater portion of the operating mechanism and a head casting 3 secured on the top thereof. For positioning the shoe bottom upward there is provided means arranged to engage the bottom of the toe end of the insole in general accordance with the disclosure of United States Letters Patent No. 2,385,414, granted on September 25, 1945, on an application of A. Holmgren. This shoe-positioning means includes a plate 5 (Figs. 6 and 7) supported on a block and a plurality of insole-engaging pins 9 secured in the block and extending downwardly through apertures in the plate. The plate 5 has a flanged periphery shaped to engage the inner face of the lip of the welt shoe insole around its toe end portion and to support the lip against inward pressure of the wipers (hereinafter de- .,scribed) in the course of the toe-lasting operation. .The; plate also serves by engagement with the insole lip to position the shoe. lengthwise and laterally. The plate is detachably supported on the block l in a manner similar to the disclosure of the last-mentioned Letters Patent, and when the shoe is pressed upwardly near the beginning of, the cycle of operations of the machine by a toe rest i 2 (Figs. 1 and 3). the plate yields upwardly until the pins 9 engage the insole and position the shoe 'heightwise at the proper level for the wipers to operate correctly thereon.

The block 1 is supported on a vertical'post 53 (Fig. 2) adjustable upwardly or downwardly by means of a hand nut I5. The block is so mounted as to permit a limited adjustment thereof about an axis extending widthwise of the machine, the construction in that respect being generally similar to that describe in Letters Patent No. 2,385,414. In order, however, to provide for greater facility in removal of the block I from the post I3 when it is necessary to substitute therefor a block having pins 5 which are differently spaced as required by shoes of a different range of sizes, the means for locating the block on the post is somewhat modified as compared with the disclosure of the last-mentioned L-et ters Patent. The block has formed in its opposite side faces arcuate guideways I! (Fig. 7) which receive arcuate ribs i9 extending inwardly from plates 2| secured respectively on the opposite sides of a lower head portion of the post l3. Instead of the ribs and the upper walls of the guideways being continuous, as in the construc tion shown in the last-mentioned Letters Patent,

the ribs are interrupted'at 26 (Fig. 6) and the upper walls of the guideways are interrupted at 22 in such manner that while the ribs remain in the guideways over a normal range of adjusting movement of the block I relatively to the head portion of the post 53, by imparting extra forward movement to the block the interrupted portions of the ribs and the guideway walls may be caused to aline vertically, whereupon the block may be detached by moving it downwardly away from the head portion of the post.

For adjusting the block 1 relatively to the head portion of the post [3 there is provided a 25 in which is threaded an adjusting screw 27 rotatable in the head portion of the post and confined against lengthwise movement, the rack engaging a toothed segment 26 on the block. In order to limit the adjusting movement of the block, so that over the normal range of such movement the above-mentioned ribs and guideways will remain interengaged, a stop collar 28 is provided between a knob r28 on the front end of the screw 2'! and the head portion of the post l3. The stop collar has an internal diameter considerably greater than the diameter of screw, and it has thereon a radially extending stud-3i which lies between forwardly extending ears 3i! (Fig. 6) on the right-hand one of the plates 2!. A stud extending outwardly from the collar 29 in a location diametrically opposite to the stud 3! lies in a vertical slot 35 in the left-hand plate 2i and provides means whereby the collar may be swung upwardly from a normal lowered position determined by the stud 35 and.

the'slot 3%. When the collar is in this normal position its lower portion lies in the path of movement of an upstanding portion 32- (Fig. 6) of the block '5 to limit forward movement of the block. When the collar is swung upwardly the portion 32 of the bloclr may be moved forwardly below'the collar, so that the block may be moved by thescrewfi l to sucha positionf. that theinter-i rupted portions of the ribsmandguideway walls willaline with-each other and thus permit the block to be removed. In'mounting another block in the machine the procedure is reversed, insurance being afforded that the teeth on therack 25 and those on the segmental portion 26 of the block will correctly intermesh. Over a considerable range of sizes and shapesof shoes to be operated upon it is usually unnecessary to replace the block I and only necessary to replace the plate 5 by one of different size or shape as described in Letters Patent No. 2,385,414. The screw 2? is retained in adjusted position by means of a spring-pressed pin 3% mounted in the head portion of the post i3 and having a tapered end arranged to extend into one or another of a plurality of recesses El inthe knob 28 on the screw.

It will be understood that after the shoe has been presented in the position determined by the above-mentioned shoe-positioning means it is clamped and heldin that position by upward movement of the previously mentioned toe rest operated in the same general manner as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,160,846. Shortly after the starting of 'the'machine, moreover, a heel rest Lil (Fig. 3) is moved rearwardly into engagement with the heel end of the shoe as also disclosed in said Letters Patent. The machine is further provided with a'pair. of toe-embracing wipers 63 arranged to cooperate with retarder means hereinafter.described'to conform the toe end of the upper to the lastand-to be operated thereafter to wipe the marginal portion ofthe upper around the toe inwardly over the. feather st the lip of the insole. These wipers are dst 'TlIV mounted on wiper holders 45' (Fig. 3) and are operated by mechanisms substantially as disclosed in the last-mentioned Letters Patent for moving them heightwise of the last and for advancing and closing them, except for minor changes in the wiper-advancing cam to change somewhat the timing of the wiper-advancing operation.

To cooperate with the wipers 43 in their action on the upper at the sides of the toe the machine here-.1 shown is provided withauxiliary wipers 5! (Fig. 9) ciose to the top faces of the wipers 43; and for controlling the upper in the course of the action of the wipers 43 and 5!, thereon-the machine is provided with retarder means (Fig. 4) comprising pair of main retarder fingers 53, a pair of auxiliary retarder fingers 55 and a central retarder memberfit between the fingers 5-3 at the extreme end of the toe. The main retarder fingers 53 are arranged to operate in locations extending from near the extreme end of the toe part way around the toe, while the auxiliary fingers d5 extend farther heelwardlyalong the sides of the toe to locations near the foremost side pulling-over tacks. The means whereby the retarder fingers 53 55 and the retarder mem ber 55, which inclusively may-be termed a retarder, are operated and controlled, will be further hereinafter described.

The auxiliary wipers 5i comprise thin plates elongated in directions lengthwise of the shoe and having shoe-engaging edges curved len thwise of the shoe in approximate conformity to the curvature of the sidesof the toe. The plates have outwardly extending portions which are mounted in slots formed in lower forwardly extending arm-s ti (Fig. 9) of bell-crank levers 60, these bell-crank levers including upraised outwardly extending arms 63 connected to the arms SI by wires 65 (Fig.3); The lower arms BI are provided with arcuate bosses 62 extending upwardly in the slots in the arms into similarly curved recesses in the lower faces of the wipers The auxiliary wipers are thus swiveled for movements relatively to the arms BI about axes extending heightwise of the shoe. To retain the auxiliary wipers on the arms BI there are provided pins 64 extending through bores in the arms and through arcuate slots 66 in the wipers. As shown in Fig. 12, the rear portions of the auxiliary wipers are tapered rearwardly to reduce their thickness in locations comparatively near the end of the toe.

The bell-crank levers 60 are pivotally mounted on upwardly and downwardly extending pins 69 mounted in alined bores in the arms BI and 63 of the levers and also bores formed in bosses 1I (Fig. 8) on carriers 15 which are L-shaped and have at their front ends arms 13 extending outwardly widthwise of the shoe. The carriers 15, supported as hereinafter described, are secured at their rear ends to a single plate 19 the rear left-hand portion of which is connected to a hand lever 8| in a location between the upper and lower ends of the lever. For this purpose, a block 83 is secured to the lower face of the plate 19 and has fast therein a pivot pin 85 extending into a bore in the lever 8|. The lever is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a pin 81 supported by a bracket 89 which extends downwardly from a cover plate 9I (Fig. l) on the top of the main frame I. A downwardly extending portion of the bracket 89 and a lower portion of the hand lever BI lie within the main frame, but an upper portion of the lever extends upwardly through a slot in the cover plate 9i so as to be accessible to the operator and has secured to its upper end a stud 93. This stud extends through an arcuate slot 95 formed in an upwardly extending portion of the bracket 89 and has a clamping nut 99 threaded thereon for engaging the upwardly extending portion of the bracket and securing the lever in adjusted position. After loosening this nut the lever may be swung to effect a limited forward or rearward adjustment of the auxiliary wipers 5| relatively to the wipers 43. It will be understood that the main wipers 43 are supported for upward and downward swinging movements, as in the machine shown in Letters Patent No. 2,160,846, and the auxiliary wipers 5| swing upwardly and downwardly with them, the carriers 15 and the plate 19 swinging about the pin 85.

To support the front ends of the carriers 15 against outward movements when the auxiliary wipers 5| are forced inwardly against the sides of the toe, rolls IIlI are mounted to turn on studs I 03 on the outer bifurcated ends of the arms 13 and these rolls engage flat vertical faces formed on brackets I01 which are secured to the main frame I. The wiper holders 45 on which the main wipers 43 are mounted are supported on a wiper carrier I09, mounted to swing upwardly and downwardly, under a cover plate II I on the carrier, substantially as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,160,846, except that portions of the wiper holders and of the upper side of the cover plate are machined away to provide additional clearance for the auxiliary wiper mechanism. The outwardly extending arms 13 of the carriers 15 rest upon upper machined surfaces of the cover plate and are held against upward movement relatively to the cover plate by bracing members II3 which have downturned front end portions secured to the front of the cover plate. The bracing members also have rearwardly extending portions spaced from the cover plate and secured to upstanding flanges II2 on the cover plate. This arrangement provides guideways for the outer ends of the arms 13 which permit the forward and rearward adjustment of the auxiliary Wipers by the hand lever BI.

For operating the bell-crank levers 60 to move the auxiliary wipers 5| toward or from the shoe, the arms 63 of these levers are connected by balland-socket joints (Figs. 8 and 9), to front end portions of rearwardly extending links II5 which are connected at their rear ends by ball-andsocket joints to downwardly extending arms I2I of levers I23 (see also Figs. 1 and 3). These levers are mounted to swing on a shaft I25 rotatably mounted in bearings in the head casting 3 and in a bearing bracket I21 (Fig. 3) secured in the head casting. The levers I23 have upwardly extending arms I29 which are bifurcated at their upper ends to receive end portions of rods I3! (Figs. 1 and 8) pivotally mounted on pins I 33 on the arms. The rods I3I extend loosely through bores in blocks I35 which are pivotally mounted on upper end portions of arms I31 secured to the shaft I25 in locations adjacent to the levers I23. Compression springs I39 are mounted on the rods I3I between the blocks I35 and hand nuts I4I' threaded on rear end portions of the rods. By rotating the nuts MI, therefore, the amount of compression of the springs I 39 may be varied. It will be understood that movements of the arms I31 in a clockwise direction with reference to Fig. 8 impart similar movements yieldingly through the springs I39 to the levers I23 to move the auxiliary wipers 5i inwardly toward each other. The blocks I35 are normally held by the springs I39 against machined surfaces on the arms I29, but when inward movements of the wipers 5I are stopped by the shoe the blocks move away from the arms I29 and further compress the springs I39.

For rotating the shaft I25 and thereby operating the arms I31 there is provided a lever I45 secured to the shaft, this lever being bifurcated at its front end to receive a trunnion block I41. This block is pivotally mounted on a pin I49 which extends through it and through bores in the bifurcated front end of the lever, and the block has also therein an upwardly and downwardly extending bore arranged in coaxial relation to a threaded bore extending through the pin I49 but of slightly larger diameter than the latter bore. Extending upwardly and downwardly is a rod I5I a portion of which is threaded in the bore in the pin I49. This rod extends both above and below the pin and has mounted on its upper end above the head casting 3 a knob I53 (Fig. 1) by means of which it may be turned to raise or lower the pin I49 and the block I41. Such movement of the block is limited by a stop collar I55 and a flange I 54 on the rod. By means not herein shown the lower end of the rod 'I5I is so connected to the upper end of a downwardly extending link I51 that the rod may be turned relatively to the link but is movable upwardly or downwardly with the link. The link I51 is pivotally connected at its lower end to a forwardly extending arm of a bell-crank lever I 63 (Fig. 1) a second arm of which is provided with a roll I65 engaged by the peripheral surface of a cam I61 on a main cam shaft I69 of the machine. This cam shaft corresponds to the shaft 92 shown in Letters Patent No: 2,160g846 and the lever I63 corresponds to the lever 692 shown in said Letters Patent. The cam I6! is, however, of a diiferent shape from the cam 696 shown in said Letters Patent, although it occupies a corresponding position on the cam shaft. It will be understood that-by turning the rod I| in the manner above described, the initial positions of the auxiliary wipers 5| widthwise of the machine may be varied as required by shoes of different widths.

The retarder means which cooperates with the wipersin the lasting operation, comprising the main retarder fingers 53, the auxiliary fingers 55 and the central retardermember 59, issupported by a main carrier is! (Figs. 2, 5 and which is inthe formof'a block having a horizontal plane lower surface provided-with a T-shaped guidewayIBS (Figs. 4 and 10) extending in directions'lengthwise of the shoe. The upper surface of the carrier is provided, near the'rear end thereof, with an upstanding bifurcated lug I85 (Fig. 5). Atits front end the carrier I8! has'an upwardly extending portion I8! provided witha bore extending widthwise of the machine to receive a pin I99 which extends somewhat beyond both sides of the carrier and has its opposite .end portions threaded to receive washers and nuts which retain on the ends. of the pin upwardly extending links I82 and rearwardly. extendingv longer links 393 (Fig. 1(1). The 'lug I85 has .pivotally connected to it the lower end of an upwardly extending link I95. The upper end portions of the links i9! and I95 are supportedlin the machine in a manner hereinafter described.

The carrier l8l has on its front and rear ends arcuate ribs [91' curved about a common axis located some distance below the center of the carrier. The front rib l9! ismounted in a corresponding arcuate guideway formed in an upstanding front portion I99 of a normally horizontal plate-like member 21H which is approximately square as viewed in plan. The member 2M lies just below the carrier I M and has secured to its rear end an upstanding plate 203 having an arcuate guideway similar to the guidewayin the abovementioned front portion I99 of the member. Mounted in the guideway in the plate 203 is the rear one of the arcuate ribs-I91 on thecarrier. Themember 29! is thus supported'on the carrier I8! and may rock somewhat relatively to the carrier about an axis extending in directions lengthwise of the shoe.

' The T-shaped guideway I83 (Figs. 4 and 10) in'the carrier IBI has mounted therein a slide 205 which has a downwardly extending lug 29'! thereon (Figs. 4 and 5) ina location near the front end of the slide; The rear end of the slideis pivotally'connected to a link 209which is connected to operating mechanism hereinafter described. The; lug 291 extends downward into a substantially square aperture 2H3 extending vertically through the member 26! and is coupled as hereinafter describedto the retarder fingers 53 and 55L The member 261 has at its front. end ,a downwardly extending portion 2H (seeparticularly Figs; 10and ll) centrally disposed widthwi-se of the member and lying just in front of the aperture 2 ID. A horizontal slot '2I2 (Fig; 11') extending part way through the downwardly extending portion2ll from the rear face thereof opens into a bore extending rearwardly from the front facethereor. Mountedin'the slot'2l2is a retaining member'2I3 having a threaded'stem- 214- and' a nut 2H5 thereon engaging a shoulder on'the, portion 2. The retaining member 2I3 serves to secure in place upper end'portions of sleeves 2l5 which extend downwardly through bores in the member 201, thesesleeves being arranged closely adjacent to each other. Mounted'in the sleeves 2l5 are plungers 2H (Fig. 10) secured to-and extending upwardly'from the central retarder member 5%. Compression springs 2I9 surround the stems of headed screws 22I which are threaded in the upper end portions of the plungers 2 ii, the upper endsof the springs being seated against shoulders on the sleeves-215. The springs thus tend to move the retarder member 56 in a downward direction relatively to the sleeves 2 I5, its downwardmovementbeing limited by engagement of the heads of the screwsx22l with the sleeves. Accordingly, the" member56 may yield a short distance in' an upward direction against thetresistance'of the springs 219 in response to pressure of the. upper against it.

The main retarder fingers 53, as shown in Fig. 4, are provided in their opposite ends with arcuate recesses extending widthwise of'the fingers. Extending into the recesses in the rear ends of the fingers are rounded end portions of the central retarder member 56, which thus forms knuckle joints with the fingers while permitting a limited amount of'rockingmovement of the fingers relatively'to the central member about horizontal axes. The fingers 53" have thereon upwardly extending lugs 223 (Figs. stand 5) which, as viewed from the sides of the fingers, are substantially cylindricalin form. These lugs lie within complementally shaped recessesextending part waythrough lower portions ,of arms 2255 which support the fingers, the lugs beinglretained within the recesses by means of cover plates 22? secured to the outer faces of the arms. The lugs 223 and the complemental recesses in the arms thus afford provision for the abovementioned rocking movements of the fingers relatively to the central'member5fi to, permit-the fingers to adjust themselves to the.upper,.such movements of the fingers being limited by .engagement of their upper faces with the arms. The arms 225 are pivotally, mounted at their rear ends on the previously mentionedlsleeves 2l5 (Fig. 10) for swinging. movements about the sleeves.

For supportingthe auxiliary retarder fingers 55 there are provided blocks 229 (Figs. 4 and5) having forwardly extending arms 23l,and rear.- wardly and outwardly extending arms 233.. The blocks are further provided with inwardly ex.- tending ears 235 spaced vertically apart, and between these earsare mounted'lugsextending forwardly from the. arms 225v which carry the fingers 53. Pivot pins 23? extend through the ears 235 and the above-mentioned lugs, so that the arms-225 and the bloclr's229 mayswingrel'atively to each other about substantially vertical axes. The blocks 229 are further provided with substantially vertical bores in which are mounted plungers 239, these plungers attheir lower. ends being provided'with heads 24E. mounted in slots 243 in the blocks and havingplane parallel front and'rear faces guidedby engagement with the walls of the slots. This arrangement permits upward and downward movements of the-plungers 239v relatively to the blocks229ibut prevents turning of .the plungers. Suchmovem'ents of .the plungers. arelimitedto. a .d istance. of approxie mately one-quarter of an inch by pins 255 11 (Fig. mounted in the blocks 229 and extending into recesses formed in the plungers. The pins are held yieldingly in engagement with the plungers by leaf springs 241 secured to rear faces of the blocks 229, and the friction between the pins and the plungers prevents movement of the plungers relatively to the blocks at times in the course of the operation of the machine. The fingers 55 are pivotally mounted on the heads 241 of the plungers 239 by means of horizontal pivot studs 249 extending through bores in the heads and threaded into side walls of the fingers. The rear end portions of the fingers 55 are rounded laterally and also upwardly and downwardly and extend into the arcuate recesses in the front ends of the fingers 53, thus forming loose knuckle joints with the fingers 53.

The fingers 55 (Fig. i) are comparatively long and are curved slightly lengthwise of the shoe on their inner faces. At their front ends, moreover, they are comparatively thin widthwise to facilitate the introduction of these ends between the upper materials and the lip of a welt shoe insole. The fingers 55 have thereon upwardly extending lugs 25! (Fig. 5) so formed as to present front faces perpendicular to the lower faces of the fingers and rear faces 255 inclined in rearward and downward directions relatively to the front faces. Engagement of the faces 255 with front vertical faces 251 on the upper ones of the ears 235 on the blocks 229 limits upward swinging movements of the fingers 55 about the studs 249.

For controlling the fingers 55 there are provided links 259 extending upwardly therefrom and connected at their lower ends to the lugs 251 by ball-and-socket joints, the balls being mounted in sockets in the lugs and retained therein by cover plates 261. The upper ends of the links are connected to operating mechanism hereinafter described. Guide plates 293 secured to inwardly extending lugs on the front ends of the arms 231 provide, with inner walls of the arms, guideways for upper end portions of the lugs 251 and the cover plates 261.

The arms 233 of the blocks 229 are pivotally connected at their rear ends by pins 295 (Fig. 4) to arms 291 of two-armed levers 268 which are pivotally mounted between their ends on studs 269 threaded in the lower side of the member 291. The other arms 211 of the levers have rotatably mounted therein pins 213 head portions of which are slotted laterally to receive the previously mentioned lug 291 on the slide 295, the head portions of the pins extending upwardly into the aperture 219 in the member 291. Movement of the slide 295 forwardly in the carrier 181 from its rearmost position moves the pins 213 also forwardly, thereby swinging the levers 258 in directions to carry the rear ends of the arms 233 rearwardly and outwardly. This causes the fingers 53 and 55 to swing outwardly widthwise of the shoe as more particularly hereinafter explained, the fingers 53 swinging about the axes of the sleeves 215 and the fingers 55 also swinging outwardly with the fingers 53 while assuming a slightly different relation to them about the axes of the pins 231.

Upper end portions of the links 191 supporting the front end of the carrier 181 are pivotally connected by a rod 219 to a bifurcated forwardly extending arm 281 (Fig. 2) of a two-armed lever 283 pivotally mounted on the shaft 125. The lever 283 has a second rearwardly and downwardly extending arm 285 pivotally connected at its rear end to the lower end of a link 281. Also pivotally mounted on the rod 219 between the bifurcations of the arm 281 is a bell-crank lever 289 having an upwardly extending arm 289 pivotally connected to the front end of a rearwardly extending link 291 which at its rear end is pivotally connected by a stud 293 to the previously mentioned bracket 121. The effective lengths of the link 291 and the arm 281 are equal, and the link 291 is parallel to an imaginary line passing through the centers of the shaft and the rod 219. A rearwardly extending arm 295 of the bellcrank lever 288 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the link supporting the rear portion of the carrier 181. The links 191 and 195 are of equal lengths and are parallel, while the arm 295 is effectively parallel to a line passing through the pivotal connections between the links 191, 195 and the carrier 181. Accordingly, a parallel linkage arrangement is provided, which insures that as the lever 283 is swung about the shaft 125 the lower plane of the carrier 181 supporting the retarder finger 53 and 55 and the central retarder member 59 remains horizontal. In order to control the carrier 181 with respect to forward and rearward movements, the links 193 are pivotally connected at their rear ends to the lower ends of arms 291 extending downwardly from a sleeve 299 (Fig. 2) pivotally mounted on the shaft 125. The effective lengths of the arms 291 are the same as those of the links 191 and 195, and the effective lengths of the links 193 are the same as those of the link 291 and the arm 291. counterclockwise movement, with respect to Fig. 2, of the arms 291 about the shaft 125 will, through the links 193, move the carrier 181 and the retarder members carried thereby bodily in a rearward direction, the parallel linkage insuring that the carrier remains horizontal throughout that movement.

For swinging the lever 283 about the shaft 125 to move the carrier 181 upwardly and downwardly, the link 281 is pivotally connected at its upper end to an arm 391 (Fig. 2) extending rearwardly from a yoke member 393 (see Fig. 3) pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 395 supported in bearings in the bracket 121. The yoke member has a downwardly extending arm 391 formed thereon, the arms 391 and 391 being spaced apart widthwise of the machine. At its lower end the arm 391 has thereon a cam roll 399 in engagement with a cam surface on a cam 313 secured to a cam shaft 315 which extends widthwise of the machine and is rotatable in bearing brackets 399 (Fig. 3), this cam shaft being driven by a chain (not shown) from the cam shaft 199. The roll 399 is held normally against the cam surface by the action of a spring 311, a lower end portion of which is anchored in a helical groove formed on a rod 321 journaled in bearings in the arm 391 and provided at its front end with a knurled head 323 by which it may be rotated. The rod 321 is held against lengthwise movement in its bearings, so that when it is rotated the lower end of the spring is adjusted lengthwise of the arm 39! to vary the leverage by which the spring acts on the arm. The upper end of the spring is connected to one end of a balancing lever 325 pivotally mounted midway between its opposite ends on a stud secured to a post 321 extending upwardly from the righthand bracket 396. The lever 325 has a similar spring 331 connected to its other end, the lower end of this spring being connected to another adjusting device similar to the one above de- 13 scribed but associated-with other cam-controlled mechanism hereinafter described. Under the action of the spring 3 I1-th'e cam'roll'309 'follows the cam surface on'the cam-313; andtheretarder means is moved bodily downward in response to counterclockwise movement, with reference to Fig. 2, of the arms 301 and 301 In the construction shown inFigs. 1 and 2 downward movement of the: carrier I81 is limited. only by engagement of the-retarder fingers 53 with the upper mate-- rial lying over the'wipers and, as the cam." 313 continues to rotate, the roll 309 is separated from the cam surface on .thecam. Whileth'e fingers '53 are in engagement with the. work, the amount of downward pressure thereof on. the work is.

determined by the setting ofthe adj ustin'g: device associated with the spring. 3 I1.

For controlling movements? of the auxiliary retarder fingers 55- about the: pivot studs 249 relatively to thefingers 53 and the pressureapplied to the work by the auxiliary'fingers-the linksi259 are pivotally connected at their upper ends by meansof studs34l tothe front end portions of members 343 which extend rearwardly and inwardly and are secured to a forwardly'extending arm 345 of a two-armed lever 341 pivotally mounted'on 'a pm 349 on the bracket 121. The lever 341 has a rearwardly extendingarm 351 pivotally connected at its rear end to the lower end of. an upwardly extending link 353. The upper end ofithislinkis pivotally connected to an arm 355 extending rearwardly froma yoke ,member 351 pivotally mounted on the'shaft 305 at the left of the yoke member 303 (Fig. 3). The

yoke member 351 has a downwardly extending.

arm 359, the arms355 and 359'being spacedapart widthwiseof the machine. The arm 359 carries a cam roll 36l which is held normally in engagement with a cam surface on a cam 365'secured to the cam shaft 315 by theaction of the previously mentioned spring 33I on the -arm.355-. As above suggested, this arm carries aspring-adjusting device similar to thatcarried by the. arm and having the lower endof the sprin'g33l connected thereto.

For swinging the arms 291 carried. by the sleeve299 about the shaft I25, thesleeve29-9 'has thereon a re'arwardly extending lug 31! (Fig.2) provided with a transverse bore in which is rotatably-mounted a pin 313. A head 3 14 on one end of this pin isbifurcatedto receive between its bifurcations a sleeve'315 extending upwardly from a knurled nut 316 whichis threaded'on a stem formed on the lowerxend of an upwardly extending link 311. The sleeve 315. is provided with a fiange'318 extending over'thehead. 314. The upper end of the link '3" is.pivotally:connected to a lever 319 pivotally mounted onthe stud 293 and having thereon a camroll 38l1lying in a cam'track in the earn 313. By rotatingthe nut:316 the effective length of the link'3-11-may be varied to adjust the carrier 18] in directions lengthwise of the shoe.

For operating; the'link 209 connected to. the

slide 205 -controlling;the outwardswinging-mov'ements of the retarder fingers, the link is. pivotally connected at its rear end to a downwardly extending arm of abeIL-cranklever 39! pivotally mounted on a" pin. 3 9-3 which is" supportedin a head 395 formed on a slide-391. The; bellcrank lever has a forwardly extending arm '3 99 connectedby a link 40| to-acam-lever:403'also mounted on'the. stud 293. The cam lever-403 is: provided-with a: roll: 405v lyingiin: a camitra'ck intheicam:365;(Fig; 3) The slide 3i91v-is' mounted '14 in a: forwardly and rearwardly 'extendingsguideway in abracket B -secured .totne:-cover:'- 1ate 9'l' on the top of: the main irame 'li- The slide is normally urged in arearward-directioniby-"a spring 410 (Fig. 1) connected 'to'l i'ts rear end and to a hook on the cover plate 915 -'I he :ar-

rangement is, accordingly, such th'at' prior tUthe beginning of the cycle of operations thisispring, by its action on the slide 391; 'tendsxtoii-movetl'ie bell crank lever 39l bodily in a rearward 'direction and thereby, through the link- 209 andthe slide 205, tends to swing theleVers' ZBB i-ndirections to cause the front ends o' the 'finger's 55 'yieldingly to engage the side-wall theshoepositioning plate 5 'above'the lip '-the; i-nsole. When the operator wishes to substitutei foi the plate 5oneofadiffrntsizebr shape he swin'gs the 1 fingers apart against 'the res'istiincef' 'tlie spring 410', and after thesubstitute plat has been placed in the machine and the fingers haive been released, the front ends' of the fingers 55 will hug the sidewallsof the: plate regardless of its size or shape within the r 'ang'eiof substitute-pl'ates provided for use inlthe'maehi-ii'm The fingers, therefore, will of themselves-tass'umea'positions proper for operatingon the nextence.

In order to insure that the retarden finge'rs will i receive measured outward movements from whatever initial positions 'against th' fingers 55-occupy at thebeginning the cycle of operations, means is provided for Rio lngi tl-ie slide 391 in its guidewayin the liracket 409 immediately after the beginning'of thezrotatlon of thecam shaft 3I5, so that 'there'after'fthepivot 393-101- the bell-crankl'ver 39] will b'efh'eld stationary and the movements ofthe camzlever 403 willbe positively transmitted to" operate-rue fingers 53 and 55. This locking means compri'ses a locking lever 413 pivotally mountedon' an' 'eccentrically mounted pin 41 5 Onithe bracket'409. The lever 4|3 has a rounded lowers-endifaceaarranged to engage an'upper facel ofiaiihardened plate 4 l 9 mounted in a recess in the slide 39]. The plate-M9. rests upon aiplate. 4=23 which has .lugs extending widthwise of thei'machi ne into vertical slots "424 .in the bracket409 'at bo'thisides of the guideway for the'slide 39.1. "Illiezplate 423 rests upon a: plate. 425;in..'thesrecessfzin the slide, and this plate rests uponzano'ther plate 42 1 having lugs .extending' int'o the slots.:4'24; The plates 423 and 421'are-thus'heldzagainst forward or rearwardmovementsby, their*lugs.;and the slots 424, while theplates' 4l9 and:a;425 are caused by the. recess in theslide- 391: to move with the slide. Theeccentric pin 41 5-.hasthereon a head'429'by. which 'it may. be rotated, fthealiead 429 being normally held in adjusted-position by a screw 430 extending through .-a- :slot zin theihead and threaded in the bracket-4'09; Thea-adjustment is such that the lever-"H3, onzbeingzswung in a counterclockwise"direction fromi theaposftion in which it is;-shown' inFi'g. cl'amp'ssthe plates M9, 423, 4-25-and-421-firmlw-togetherto hold the. slide 391 'against'fmovemenu The lever 413- is controlled by- 'azcamrsurface on the cam 3l3. This cam-surface fis engaged by a cam roll 433.,mountedonaforwardlyj extending arm of a bell-crank levers-435.:which. is pivotally mounted on apin 431: ona'the: branket 409. The. bell-crank lever'has raidepending1 arm which, at its lower end, carries aihardenedsabutment plate 439. Aspiring-J40 connect'edito-i-the forwardly. extending arm wofftheibellcmnlei'lever andrtoia. pin." 442 on tries-bracketed tends-16w 5. swingithe :lever in-.-a; .clockwise:directloni mentface and a horizontal face.

- 44! is pivotally mounted on an upper arm 443 of the locking lever M3 and has in its front end a notch (not shown) providing a vertical abut- The vertical face is normally held in abutting engagement witha rear face of the abutment plate 439 under the'action of a spring 449 connected to a pin on the arm 443 and a pin on the bracket 409.

The above-mentioned horizontal face of the arm MI lies just below the abutment plate 439, while alower face of a downwardly extending lug 455 on the arm is held normally in engagement with ,the upper end of a catch plate 451 by a spring 459 connected to the arm I and to a rearwardly projecting pin on the catch plate. The latter is pivoted on a pin 463 mounted in the bracket 409 and is urged by the spring 459 in a counterclockwise direction so that the front face thereof-engages a stop face on the bracket, I as shownin Fig. 2.

Prior tothe beginning of the cycle of operations thecam roll 433 is engaged by a high part of the cam and the parts occupy the. positionsshown in Fig. 2 with the locking lever 4I3 .held inoperative, so that the slide 391 is free to move in its guideway in the bracket 409. Within theyfirst- 10? of rotation of the cam shaft the roll ridesoif the high part of the cam, whereuponthe spring 449 swings the locking lever M3 in a counterclockwise direction to cause the locking plates to, be pressed together and thereby to lock the slide 391 against movement. If the eccentricpin M is correctly adjusted, the forward movement of the arm 441 which occurs at this time is insufficient to cause its lug 455 I to dropin front of the catch plate 451, and accordingly when the lever 435 is swung in a counterclockwise direction, near the end of the cycle of operations by the action of the high part of the cam on the roll 433, the abutment plate v439 pushes the arm rearwardly and thereby causes the lever M3 to unlock the slide 391. If, however, because of eventual wear of the locking plates or of the lever 4I3, this lever swings so farthat the lug 455 drops in front of the catch plate.451,-thejarm MI is lowered to such an 'extent that its vertical abutment face will not be engaged by the abutment plate 439 when the lever 435 is swung counterclockwise at the end of the cycle. Under these circumstances the slide 391 is not unlocked and the operator will find that when he next attempts to move the fingers 55 ap'artto permit him to change the plate 5,

he is unable to do so. An indication will thereby be afforded that the locking device should be adjusted or the worn parts should be replaced.

In order to minimize the possibility of damage to the auxiliary wipers 5| if the machine should be run idly without any shoe therein, alternative means shown in Figs. 15 and 16 is provided for connecting the link I51 (Fig. l) with a camoperated lever for operating it. The possibility of such damage arise from the fact that when there is no shoein the machine the toe rest II is moved farther upwardly than when a shoe is .;be:broken@as th'ey are .moved farther upward during the upward movements of the main wipe ers. The alternative means above referred to provides a safety device which prevents the auxiliary wipers from being moved far enough inwardly to be trapped beneath the flange of the plate 5 if the machine is run without any shoe therein. For the purpose in view, the bell-crank lever I53 shown in Fig. 1 is replaced by two levers and a latch device (Fig. 15), the latch device normally acting to transmit movement from one of the levers to the other to impart inward movements to the auxiliary wipers. The two levers comprise a lever 50I connected to the link I51 by a pin 5I3 and mounted to swing about a. shaft 503, and a lever 505 also mounted to swing about the shaft 503 and having thereon a cam roll 501 arranged to be engaged by a peripheral cam 509 on the cam shaft I69. The shape of the cam 509 is somewhat modified, as hereinafter described, as compared with that of the cam I01 shown in Fig. 1.

The above-mentioned latch device comprises a bell-crank lever 5H pivotally mounted on the pin 5I3. One arm of this bell-crank lever is provided with a hardened block 5I5 arranged to be engaged, when there is a shoe in the machine, by a second hardened block 5" on the lever 505. counterclockwise movement, with reference to Fig. 15, of the lever 50I is arrested by engagement of an adjustable stop screw 519 on the lever with an abutment face 52I on the machine frame. The stop screw 5I9 is so adjusted that at the end of the cycle of operations the block 545 is just clear of the block 5I1, as shown in Fig. 15.

Counterclockwise movement of the lever 50! is effected by engagement of an adjustable stop screw 520 mounted in a lug on the lever 505 with 2. lug 522 on the lever 50I, the weight of the lever 505 being depended upon thus to move the lever 50!. The screw 520 is so adjusted that when movement of the lever 50I is arrested by the stop screw 5I9 and the cam roll 501 is in initial engagement with the cam 509, the screw 520 remains in engagement with the lug 522.

A forwardly extending arm 523 of the bellcrank lever 5 is connected by a link 525 with an arm 521 extending forwardly from a sleeve member 529 pivotally mounted on a shaft 53I supported by the machine frame. Collars 533 (Fig. 16) restrain the sleeve member 529 from lengthwise movement on the shaft. The sleeve member has thereon a second forwardly extending arm 535, this arm being pivotally connected at its front end to an upwardly extending link 531. The link 531 has therein an upwardly and downwardly extending slot 539, and in this slot lies a pin 54I carried by a block 543 secured to the lower end portion of a rod 545 which at its upper end carries the toe rest II. This rod corresponds to the rod 38 shown in Letters Patent No. 2,160,846.

Since in the cycle of operations the toe rest does not move so far upwardly, as a result of the upward movement of the rod 545, if there is a shoe in the machine as it does if the machine is run idly without any shoe therein, this fact is utilized to determine whether or not the safety device associated with the auxiliary wiperoperating mechanism is operative. The pin 54I assumes a position lengthwise of the slot 539 determined by the height to which the toe rest rises, and when there is a shoe in the machine the pin does not rise far enough to engage the link 531 at the top end of the slot and thereby to raise-the link- 525. Under these .conditions the bell-crank lever-| l' remains in the position shown Figwlb relatively to the lever 50!, the weight of parts connected thereto maintainin it witha rear face on its lower end in engagement'with the block 5l1. In the cycle of operations, therefore, clockwise movement of the lever 505" imparts similar movement to the lever 5M to cause the auxiliary wipers to receive their normal inward movements.

If the machine is run idly without .any shoe therein, the rod- 545 which c'arries the toe rest moves upwardly so far that the pin 5M raises the link .531 and thereby raises the link 525 to .suchan extent as to swing the bell-crank lever 5H farenough to carry its block 15I5 away from over the block 511. Under these conditions clockwise movement of the cam-operated lever 505' does not impart movement to the lever 50! until the head of a screw 541 on the lever 505 engages the lower face of the lug 522 on the leveri50l'. Because o'f'this lost motion the extent of the? inward movements imparted to the auxiliary wipers is much less than would other- Wise'be the case, such short inward movements as are" imparted to them serving to prevent their outer faces from being engaged by the wiper carriers 45 for themain wipers 43' with possible dangeriof damage; Accordingly, thexauxiliary wipers are not'moved inwardly far enough to become trapped beneath the shoe-positioning plate 5. j 7

When the machine is to operate on shoes having-uppers of certain materials, it may be desirable to limit downward movement of the carrier l8l, sothat theupper will not be clamped so soon on the wipers by the retarder fingers 53 and the member 56 as the wipers are moved upwardly, thus limiting the duration and extent o'f'the pull on the upper by the cooperative action' of the wipers and the retarder fingers and member'5'6. For this purpose there may be provid'eda stop device shown in Figs. 1-3 and 14. This stop device includes a bracket 56f clamped on the post 321, the bracket having a portion extending downwardly behind the post. Formed in the bracket is a vertical bore in which is mounted a stem 563 extending upwardly from a crosspieee 565, and threaded on the upper end portion of this stem is aknurled nut 515. This nut-is mounted in a slot in the bracket 55! so that, when it is rotated, the crosspieee 565 is raised or lowered; Rotation of the stem 553 in the bore is prevented by a key 561 secured to the" crosspieee and extending. upwardly into a groove 569'in'the bracket. The crosspieee carries 2; depending pin 511 and an adjustable stop screw 513. The screw may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly in the crosspieee relatively to the pin 51!, and both the pin and the screw may b'esimilarl'y adjusted togeth'er'by rotation of the nut .515. Downward movement of the stem 563 and therefore of the crosspieee is limited by engagement of a collar 511 on 'thestem' with'the bracket 56!. The stop screw 513 is arranged to limit downward movements of the main-retarder 'fing'ers53' and theicentral retarder member 56 byengagement with therear en'd of the arm 39!, and the pin 51l serves to limit downward swinging movement of the auxiliary retarder fingers 55"abo'uttheipivot' stud's249 by engagement with the rear end' of the arm 355.

Before presentinga shoe to the machine the operator makes certain that the shoe-positionin'g'iplate 5T islo'ff the-correct size and shape Land that the various mechanisms capable of adjustment are so adjusted that the instrumentalities' controlled thereby will operate properly on the work in hand. A shoe. before it is presented to the machine, will have been previously pulled overandside lasted, and the operator removes the end pulling-over tack' and spreads outwardly with his fingers the'marginalportion of the upper around the toeso that it iss'pa'Ged somewhat from the lip of the insole. In locations',.-howeverl adjacent to the forward ones of the sid'e'jpullingover tacks the margin of the upper will lie fair 1y close to" the lip of the insole and will, in .general ,.ext'end somewhat above the level of the lip. The operatdr presents the shoebottom upward to the machine and causes the flange of the-plate 5 to engage'th'e'inner'face of the insole lip and therebyto position the shoe lengthwise and laterally. The tips of the auxiliary retarder fingers 55 will" then lie just above the i'n's'ole' lip inloc'ations slightly nearer' the end of'thet'oe than the foremost s'ide pulling-over tacks, the fingers being inclined downwardly and toward the operator, i. e., toward thezheel end 'ofthe shoe, at this time. The" tip of these fingers will- .be yieldingly' engaging the side walls of the plate 5' and, asthe shoe is presented, portions of the uppermaterials extending upwardly above the levelof'the insolelip will lie against theouter a rs' e s Of h fi r V The timing of' the different operations willfbe described with reference to the chart (Fig. 17) and with reference, in part, to the chartshow'n in Fig. 33 of Letters Patent No. 2,160,846. It is to be noted, however, that the 'machineherein shown comes automatically to a stop the-firsttime ataboutl75 of the cycle instead of'atabout as indicated on the last-mentioned chart. After the shoe has been properly presented, the operator initiates the cycle of operationsby de--- pression of the starting treadle. Near the beginning of the cycle the cam roll 533 (Fig'. .2) on the bell-crank lever 435' rides on the high part of the cam surface which it'eng'ages, thus causing the slide 391 to be locked in its guide- Way in the bracket 409 by the locking lever 1413 (line A on the chart), s o that thereafter the retarder fingers 53 and 55 will bepo'sitivelyc'ontrolled'thro'ugh the bell-crank lever 39']. .The toe rest II also is raised near the beginning ofth'e cycle'toclamp the shoeagainst the pins! (Figs. .6 and 7), the plate.5. yielding in an u'p'ward direction until the shoe engages'the pins.

In the machineherei'nlshown the wiper! carrier l09b'egins to advance atabout 20 ofthe' cycle instead of 50 as in the machine orileaer's Patent NO. 2,160,846, and this initial advanceis completed at about GO-VinStea'd-O'f 1009'. This earlier advance or the" wipers insures that they will be positioned" beneath the retarder means at an' earlier stage than in the machine equipped with the retarder shownfiini the? previously mentioned Letters Patent N0 2.;380A01rthuslmini mizing any tendency for the retarder means as itldes'cends toc'rowd the upper downin -front of the wipers.

The cam surface engaging the rou a'o'e (Fig. v2 is so'shapedlthat thecarrier l8l1for the retarder means begins to move downwardly underthe action o r th 'sp'ringian at about 20 or the eye-1e (see lilie Bi oh the chart). rheifingersseanu rheimembergss' are thiis .mbved bodily downwardlan'd' with them to pivot studs mrrig; s for the auxinaryifingfers ss. .I'n-o'rderto maintain 

